The Magic Inquisition
by Sedor
Summary: Witches and Wizards may have mocked attempts to hunt them in the past, but with the return of Voldemort to a physical body, they have drawn the ire of a race solely concerned with maintaining the balance. With the fate of their World in the balance, can they prove to the powers that be that they don't deserve extermination? Protector's Temptation AU. Ichigo/Kyoka Suigetsu
1. Prologue

**The Magic Inquisition**

The World Cup is finally over! Now I can finally get back to writing and not sitting on the edge of my seat screaming at the TV. Congrats to the German team and their fans.

Please be aware, I recommend you read at least the first chapter (maybe even the second chapter to be safe) of my story 'The Protector's Temptation' to understand a little of what's happening here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter.

"Normal speech"

'_Inner speech/thoughts'_

"_Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"_

"**Zanpakuto speech/Inner Power"**

"_**Hollow speech"**_

XXX

**Prologue:**

As the sun set over the Seireitei, the twilight hour found the Soul Reapers in relative peace. They were not currently under attack by a rag tag group of teenagers, or an experiment that they had tried to eliminate, or a group of exiles that they had confined to the Precipice world. Nor did they have to worry about a megalomaniacal madman plotting to overthrow the Spirit King and slaughter them without mercy. In short this was the most relaxed that they had been in a very long time. As many would attest to though, peace was always fleeting.

As the Captain Commander silently worked away at the few remaining items that warranted his attention, a burst of light appeared above his desk and from it floated down a sealed missive. Frowning at the display, he reached over and flipped it over, revealing the signet of the Spirit King stamped on the back. Sighing he whispered a chant under his breath, causing the letter to glow briefly, before it unfolded itself into his waiting hand.

Skimming over the letter, his normally narrowed eyes widened in surprise at the content within and his reiatsu flared in agitation. Dropping the letter back to his desk, he was unsurprised when it burst into flames, leaving no trace of its existence behind. Hearing the door to his office open, he spied his Lieutenant peeking in at him.

"Is there a problem sir?" Chojiro asked, entering the room fully after having been found out.

Not answering his most trusted subordinate just yet, he grunted and reached into his desk drawer, retrieving a blank sheet of paper. Hastily scribbling his message, he gestured for Chojiro to take it. "Take this to Kisuke Urahara. Ensure that you are not followed," he muttered in his gravelly tone of voice, his steely brown eyes burning into Chojiro's amber ones. Nodding his head in understanding, the Lieutenant vanished with a whisper of shunpo, appearing hundreds of metres away in an instant.

XXX

Within the World of the Living, Chojiro Sasakibe stepped out of the senkaimon just in front of the Urahara Shop, his expression neutral as he stared at the front entrance. Debating whether to knock and potentially announce his presence to the other residents of the store, he decided against it and walked around to the side closest to where he could feel Kisuke's reiatsu. Phasing through the wall, he spied the eccentric inventor, exile and former Captain whistling a tune to himself as he restocked the various shelves of his store.

Approaching him silently, he was mere feet away before the man spoke out loud, "A pleasure to see you against Lieutenant Sasakibe…how may I help you this evening?" Kisuke asked, still busying him himself with merchandising his store.

"I bring word from Captain Commander Yamamoto," Chojiro replied, reaching into the folds of his shihakusho and pulling out the letter laced with the Captain Commander's spirit energy.

Frowning, Kisuke set the goods in his hands down and took the proffered letter gingerly, as if it were a ravenous animal that would bite him lest he drop his guard. His mission complete, Chojiro vanished once again with a whisper of shunpo, leaving the shopkeeper alone to his thoughts. As he continued to read the letter, his lips grew thin and his eyes hardened, before he finally let out a sigh of frustration and scratched the stubble on his chin.

"My, my, the Gotei 13 certainly has found itself stuck in trouble once again," he muttered with a yawn as he stretched his arms above his head. "Now…how do I rope Ichigo into helping me this time?"

XXX

Speaking of the teen in question, he stood within the cavernous basement of Urahara's training ground, wearing a long forest green overcoat over the standard black shihakusho of a shinigami. Instead of the massive cleaver or the black daito that most people were familiar with though, he wielded a simple looking katana with a hexagonal guard, green hilt and inlaid with gold diamonds. Around him stood each of the ten Espada that Aizen created, each in their Ressureccion, glaring down at him.

As a breeze flitted through the area, ruffling his overcoat slightly, he whispered a single word, "Begin."

With a roar from Yammy, several of the Espada charged towards him, their reiatsu reflecting their urge to kill him. Being one of the faster Espada, Grimmjow reached him first, his claws lashing out at Ichigo and ghosting over his shihakusho. Growling in frustration, Grimmjow could only gasp as a shower of blood burst forth from his back as his spine was rent asunder, causing him to collapse to the ground, as his Ressureccion disappeared.

Flicking his blade to the side to rid the blood on it, Ichigo felt Nnoitra appear behind him, a twisted grin on the Quinto Espada's face as he brought all six of his blades down on his unprotected back. Moments before contact though, the ear-splitting screech of metal shattering echoed through the area as each of his blades were reduced to foot long metal rods in his hands, before his body was bifurcated from head to groin.

Stunned at the defeat of two of their number so quickly, the rest were slightly more cautious as they approached. It mattered little though as Ichigo disappeared with a soft buzz, appearing before the mushroom like body of Zommari. Knowing of his power to control another's limbs, he vanished again as he saw the hints of his eyes about to activate and swiftly decapitated the troublesome Espada. _'Seven more to go,'_ he thought, staring at the remaining Espada before him. _'Yet I only see six, so that means…'_

His musings were brought to an abrupt halt as a tentacle like appendage burst forth from his feet, hastily wrapping itself around him to restrict his movement. Looking up, he grimaced as even more tentacles loomed above him, before he was swallowed by them, as the Eight Espada laughed maniacally. His laughter soon turned to a whimper though, as the tentacles along his wing exploded in a shower of blood and gore, painting the sandy ground a grim red. Twitching in fear, he watched as a completely unruffled Ichigo calmly turned in his direction, before vanishing from his sight and reappearing inches in front of him.

"_Hado no. 73, Soren Sokatsui," _he chanted, causing two brilliant blue fireballs to fire from his outstretched palms, reducing his target to naught but ash. "You're certainly not proving to be much of a warm-up for me," he taunted them, noticing how a few of the survivors seemed to tense at his words. "Well come on then, I'm not getting any younger here."

With so many of their brethren defeated, it was easier now for some of them to attack him. Such as when he had to quickly shunpo into the air as a tidal wave of water crashed down on his position from Harribel's Cascada, or when he leaned out of the way of Ulquiorra's Lanza del Relampago. Grimacing as the flaming green spear shot past him, he watched as it detonated in the distance, utterly destroying an area the size of a suburb, while the shockwave swept out demolishing even more.

"**You failed Ichigo,"** a sombre voice stated, causing each of the remaining Espada to freeze mid-action, their eyes unblinking. Scowling, Ichigo watched as the environment and Espada seemed to melt away, leaving him in the middle of an empty expanse. Looking over his shoulder, he waited as a woman in her early twenties with light silver hair, emerald green eyes and wearing a light green silk robe that stopped just above her thighs walked towards him, a disappointed expression on her face.

"I got too arrogant again I know," he complained, sheathing his blade at his waist, before he sat down on the glassy floor of his inner world. Feeling her fist connect with his head, he winced and looked up at her with a glare.

"**Don't just sit there so nonchalant about it Ichigo. This exercise was supposed to teach you to deal with your most dangerous opponents first and then leave the others for you to deal with at your leisure. If you had been fighting anywhere that you considered neutral territory, you've just allowed one of them to destroy countless lives!"**

"I get that! But I've only failed a handful of times and you've made me run this simulation dozens of times now. I can't help it if they just don't feel like a threat," he explained.

"**Bored already? I've only had you fighting against Captains or Espada recently; maybe I should up it to include Aizen or the Captain Commander. How does that sound to you?"**

"Annoying," he muttered, sweeping her legs out from under her, before he caught her lithe frame in his arms. "We haven't had a break to ourselves in ages, can't we just relax for just one night?" he begged.

"**And what exactly would you do with that break," **she whispered sultrily in his ear, while she threaded her fingers through his hair.

"Oh I'm sure I could think of something," he said with a grin, as he lay her down on the ground, before leaning down to capture her lips with his own. Feeling her tongue probing at his lips, he chuckled softly and responded in kind, allowing their intimate dance to continue. As his hand slid down to her thigh though, he pulled away, getting a whine of protest from her. Seeing his look though, she forgot her disappointment for the moment.

"**What did you feel?"** she asked, looking up at him with a hint of worry.

"Someone's slipped through the barrier I placed around us," he whispered, turning back to her with a frown. "The only one that knows how to do that without triggering it is Kisuke, so he must want something from me again."

"**You could just tell him to come back later,"** she said, her lips ghosting up his neck so that she could nibble on his earlobe. **"After all, you made it perfectly clear to him that this is our private time.**"

"I know, I know," he said with a sigh, caressing her back through her silk gown, "but we both know that he would only come here if it was terribly important." Pulling away from him, she sighed in disappointment and watched as he disappeared, leaving her lying on the cool floor of his inner world.

XXX

Opening his eyes to his bedroom, Ichigo spied Kisuke idly sitting on his desk chair, a cup of tea in his hands as he stared down at the former substitute soul reaper.

"You better have a good reason for disturbing me at this hour Urahara-san," he grumbled, stretching his neck to get rid of some of the kinks in it. "As it stands Kyoka is royally pissed at you right now."

"I'll try not to take up to much of your time then Kurosaki-san," he replied with a strained smile, the slight action causing Ichigo to sit up a little straighter.

"What's happened?" he asked, his instincts telling him that he was about to hate the news.

"Do you believe in magic Kurosaki-san? In Witches and Wizards?" the exile asked, drawing a frown from his former student.

"I'd have said no if I didn't already know about ghosts, Hollows and Soul Reapers," he replied, scratching the back of his head as was his habit. "I guess it's not such a stretch to believe that they exist. If they do though, they hide themselves very well."

"That they do," Kisuke said with a chuckle. "In all my decades here, I've only encountered their kind twice and on both occasions they tried to wipe my memory of them. It was amusing playing along with their little game."

"I'm sure it was, but what does any of this have to do with me?" Ichigo asked, trying to get to the heart of the matter. Watching as Kisuke held up a palm to his wall though, his eyes widened as he raised a barrier isolating his room from the rest of the world, an act that was borderline forbidden by the Soul Society.

"Excellent barrier by the way, it took me a few minutes to think of a way to slip through without triggering the trap you left in it. You're clearly not one to want visitors anymore are you?" Kisuke said with a hint of jovialness in his tone, before he turned deadly serious. "Now what I'm about to tell you, does not leave this room. Not to your friends, family, allies or otherwise." Getting a nod from the teen in understanding, Kisuke took off his hat and pulled out the missive that Yamamoto had sent him.

"The Captain Commander was summoned to attend a meeting between the various Captain Commanders of the Afterlife, of which he is the representative of the Asia-Pacific region. The issue to be discussed is the eradication of every Witch and Wizard alive and the destruction of all artefacts related to them."

"W-What?" Ichigo spluttered, his thoughts echoed by Kyoka Suigetsu.

"This action is in line with steps taken in the past to combat the threat of the Quincies, where they all voted in favour of the complete removal of a threat to the balance of the afterlife," Kisuke continued, ignoring the shocked outburst from Ichigo. "The justification is that a technique among their kind prevents a person from dying and passing on. While a rarity amongst their kind, recent evidence has appeared that shows that someone might have used such a technique to survive a fatal attack."

"So one person cheats death and now they want to kill an entire race for it?!" Ichigo said in disbelief, getting a nod from Kisuke.

"Where one person has succeeded, more stand to follow. In order to protect the balance, they will take whatever measures they deem necessary."

"Didn't they learn anything from their war with the Quincies? Genocide is never the answer!" Ichigo shouted, his fists clenched in anger.

"Unfortunately while the scope of the two events will be similar in size, it will be a one-sided massacre this time," Kisuke commented dispassionately, taking a sip from his cup. "While the Quincies were able to resist them to some degree, from what I've seen of Witches and Wizards, they do not have the power, or the numbers to effectively mount a resistance."

"This is just so…fucked up," Ichigo said, resting his head against his hands. "Hang on…why tell me this? What does any of this have to do with me?"

"Captain Commander Yamamoto believes that such an action is excessive, but as the main supporter of the move to exterminate the Quincies, his judgement will be called into question and his counsel ignored. Because of this, he's asked if I could take a look at the situation and perhaps find enough evidence to suggest that the Magical community should be left alive."

"Good for him. He's shown that there is a heart beating in that withered old body of his, but that still doesn't answer why you told me about this?" Ichigo muttered sarcastically, the base of a plan forming in his head for what he would do if in Kisuke's situation.

"Well considering that I would have to do this without drawing the attention of the intended victims, or the other regional heads for that matter, I was wondering if I might be able to enlist your unique abilities in the pursuit of information gathering."

"You want me to use my Kyoka Suigetsu to infiltrate them and gather information for you? Oh sure why not, it's not like I have a life here that I can just put on hold. Hell it's only my final year at high school. The year that determines whether or not I go to University on a scholarship or not!" he shouted once again, his eyes boring into Kisuke's own. "Why would you ask me to do this Urahara? You know that I've washed my hands of the Gotei 13 and the Soul Society as a whole, so why get me involved in another of their messes?"

"You're right Kurosaki-san it's not fair, but you yourself said it; _'Why do they deserve extinction because of one individual?'_ Are you telling me that, knowing what you know now, you would not sacrifice part of your life to save their entire race? You've changed a lot since you bonded with Kyoka Suigetsu, but you aren't so changed that you would ignore their plight."

"**Ichigo, I don't like it any more than you do, but I know the moment he asked for your help you agreed," **Kyoka cut in, much to his annoyance.** "Even as you grouse and complain now, you're thinking of how to make this work. We both know that all the Gotei 13 care about is maintaining the balance, but if there is a chance to rub their noses in it, shouldn't we take the chance and stop them?"**

'_It's putting us squarely in their path Kyoka. I vowed to neither help nor interfere with them. If I do this, I'm risking our lives for the lives of people I don't even know.'_

"**Don't you already do that on a daily basis whenever you take on a hollow? It's just like when you had to go rescue Rukia, except now we're out to save an entire race."**

'_Except this is not a fight we can win by destroying our enemy. We need to prove to them that they don't deserve to die. What happens when we discover that they can defy death and in fact seek to do it? What happens when we discover that they actually are a threat to the balance?'_

"**Then we stand back and watch as a race is massacred. If they are guilty, the punishment is clear. But if their guilt is in question, it falls to someone who cares enough to stand up for them to fight their case, to argue against their unjust punishment. We're not in this alone Ichigo. Kisuke's already committed to helping us and with my power, that's all we need. He'll plan out every little detail, dissect every ounce of information we get him and help us every step of the way. As much as I hate to admit it Ichigo, we owe him this much at least."**

Sighing as he relented to her way of thinking, Ichigo looked up to see Kisuke staring at him with a hopeful look on his face. "If we do this, what's the worst thing they could do to us?"

"Well the punishment for wandering into a region under another Division's control is normally a disciplinary hearing, but that's only for official soul reapers. Considering that we're and exile and a former substitute, we could face being executed or having our powers stripped from us before being left to rot in prison for the rest of our lives."

"So death, or wishing I was dead, so no different from normal," Ichigo said with a chuckle. "So, where do we start?"

"The same place everyone starts when trying to solve a problem. We go to the source," Kisuke answered, his own smirk matching Ichigo's own.

XXX

A different take on the whole _'Hey let's merge the two fandoms together'_ but one that I think is at least different enough to hold up for at least ten chapters. Also who doesn't love a Ichigo/Kyoka Suigetsu story?

Till next time, bye-bye.


	2. Chapter 1

**The Magic Inquisition**

Thanks for the response everyone. Quick thing that I did not post, this takes place from OOTP and after the Winter War. Enjoy today's chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter.

"Normal speech"

'_Inner speech/thoughts'_

"_Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"_

"**Zanpakuto speech/Inner Power"**

"_**Hollow speech"**_

XXX

**Chapter 1:**

"So what did you mean by going back to the source?" Ichigo asked as they arrived back at the Urahara Shop, before following the shopkeeper into his study.

"I mean that we need to fully understand what we're about to study, before we go out there and try to investigate them," Kisuke answered, rummaging around for several papers, before promptly tossing them onto a table for Ichigo to peruse.

"Not that I doubt your approach, but why go through all this effort if we're only interested in how they cheated death?" Ichigo asked, as he poked gingerly through the plethora of notes Kisuke had collected so far.

"When the Soul Society investigates a species or race, they gather all facts about them, relevant or otherwise," Kisuke explained breathlessly, still shuffling about his study. "If the initial concerns proved to be false, there's no need for them to act. But they if another issue pops up, then they are already up and running and can pursue that thought."

"So what kind of timeline does that give us? They're certainly not going to be able to get this all over the course of a weekend right?" Ichigo asked, stepping to the side to avoid the scientist in his frenzied dash around the room.

"We have a year maybe more, but we are racing against their official inquisition. They will pick apart every technique that they can use, weigh up the potential benefits or hurts that it cause and then put forth their recommendations to the Captain Commanders."

"So we need to research what their _'spells' _are capable of. That sounds easy enough," Ichigo commented with a smile.

"Yes but that's only part of our task Kurosaki-san and the part that you'll most likely spend the least amount of time on. Your most important task is determining who cheated death and how," Kisuke explained, placing down the photo of a teenager with black hair on the table.

"Okay so what do you want me to do? And who's this?"

"Well I've discovered that, apart from the individual that sparked this investigation, there is one other that seems to have survived a potentially fatal attack," he explained, pointing to the boy in the photo. "His name is Harry Potter and he is a student at a school called Hogwarts."

"Never heard of it," Ichigo muttered with a frown, drawing a chuckle from Kisuke.

"Of course you haven't, it's a school for witches and wizards. Anyway, Potter-san is a survivor of a spell that is apparently guaranteed to kill whomever it's used on. He survived this spell at age one and is currently fourteen years old. I trust you can see why we're interested in him. The other person that is said to have survived it is incidentally the same person that tried to use it on Potter-san, a villain by the name of Voldemort."

"Voldemort? What the hell does that mean?" Ichigo asked his expression slightly incredulous. Having spent some time going through Aizen's experiences with Kyoka Suigetsu, he knew that the madman had never entertained the idea of giving himself a nickname.

"I don't know and quite frankly that's the last thing that should concern us. What does concern us is that he apparently died after trying to kill Potter-san, who just this year has claimed that he has returned from the dead," Kisuke explained, before pointing to a really demeaning article of the teen in a faded newspaper.

"So a kid that's supposed to have lived fourteen years too long and a guy that's come back after fourteen years…basically if I do meet them and I see that they are in fact alive, this basically proves that they've broken a law that they didn't even know about?" Ichigo asked, getting a shake of the head from Kisuke.

"Not exactly. If we can prove that they never passed away, neither of them can be said to have returned from the dead, thus no law has been broken."

"Okay, so where do you want me to start?"

"Well since you are still a high school student, I was hoping that you would be able to befriend him in that environment. After that, we can move on to the man who we have next to no information on."

"You want me to attend Hogwarts? But I don't…oh," he said with a sound of understanding, catching the gleam of excitement in Kisuke's eye. "You want me to use Kyoka's Complete Hypnosis to make them think I'm a wizard. How are we even going to get me admitted though? I know you've managed to get the Soul Reapers into human schools before, but surely they'll question why I just started attending out of the blue."

"Yes they would. That's why we're going to pay a visit to the Headmaster in a few days. I'm hoping that I am still persuasive enough to get what I want. I do have one piece of bad news for you though. You are of course aware of how…unapproachable you can be yes?"

"Well I don't smile a lot that's true, but I don't think that makes me unapproachable." _'Michiru was able to muster up the courage to ask me out after all,'_ he thought, his mood dampening slightly as he thought back to the shy girl.

"Well yes, but your scowl, it can be quite intimidating even on your worst days. So I was thinking that maybe we can tweak your appearance if only a little."

"What were you thinking exactly?" Ichigo asked, his eyes focussed on Kisuke as he opened a drawer and reached into it and withdrew a small item. "Oh hell no! I refuse! There's no way in hell you'll get me to wear that!"

XXX

Within the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk, several sheaves of parchment around him as he drew up various plans to either halt, or hinder Voldemort's return to power.

Ever since the End-of-Term Feast, he'd spent nearly every waking moment on this arduous task, while being constantly stone-walled or ridiculed by the Magical Community.

What occupied his mind at the moment though, was a strange request that had arrived a few days ago by a butterfly of all things. Within the letter, he found a request for a meeting between himself and a man named Kisuke Urahara, and his student Ichigo Kurosaki. The purpose, as Kisuke had explained, was for Hogwarts to play host to the young Ichigo for perhaps a year, maybe more, as he wished to experience the contrasting styles in magic and education between two differing countries.

While he understood the boy's wish to see how other cultures interpreted magic, he was a bit perplexed that he had chosen Hogwarts over several other institutions far closer to his home nation of Japan.

Nevertheless, he had replied that he would gladly meet the pair and they had settled on today for their meeting. Considering the eight hour time difference, they had all agreed on meeting at 10:00am BST, making it just after breakfast for him and just after dinner for them.

As expected at about 9:50am a house elf popped into his office, informing him that two guests had arrived to meet him and were being led to his office at that very moment. Gathering his plans together, he hastily filed them away into his desk and waited patiently for his guests.

Minutes later, there was a soft knock at his door, prompting him to invite them in. As yet another house elf bowed its head to him, it beckoned to two people to come in. Kisuke seemed to be in his early thirties and wore a casual ensemble of green pants, a green gi and a large dark green jacket. The most curious items of his clothing though, were the wooden clogs, green and white striped bucket hat and cane he carried, making him seem like a more comical version of Lord Malfoy, though he was sure that neither man knew of the other's style.

Ichigo in comparison was far more subdued in his appearance, wearing a pair of black jeans and a green hoodie with a skull emblazoned on the back with the hood thrown up to hide his face. Sheathed at his waist though, was a green katana that caused Dumbledore some measure of alarm internally.

"Gentleman," he said in that grandfatherly tone of voice he used so often, as he stood to greet them, "My name is Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Kisuke Urahara and might I just add what a pleasure it is to meet someone of your stature Dumbledore-san," Kisuke said with a smile, taking Dumbledore's hand in his own. "There's no need to be shy anymore Kurosaki-san, we're far away from your friends now so there's no need to hide anymore," he said with a chuckle, glancing over his shoulder at Ichigo.

Hearing the teen grumble something under his breath, Dumbledore was surprised when he pulled down the hood of his sweatshirt, revealing a mop of spiky orange hair. Initially Dumbledore thought that he had hidden under his hood because of his hair, but the source of his frustration seemed to be the rectangular black glasses he wore, as he seemed to make every effort to not look through them. Seeing that the teen was greeting him, he quickly replied back in kind.

"Now as you explained in your letter, it seems to me that Ichigo here wishes to attend Hogwarts. Is this true?" Dumbledore asked, gesturing for them to sit as he did so.

"Ah yes it is. You see Dumbledore-san, there is no institute dedicated to the education of young witches and wizards in Japan, with most of them learning the skills needed through apprenticeships with accomplished witches and wizards such as myself. Ichigo has expressed to me an interest in seeing how the average apprenticeship in Japan compares to actually attending an institution and so I contacted you to aid us in this endeavour."

"I see, but why not attend another school, closer to Japan?"

"Ah well most of the Asian continent only offer apprenticeships and as for the schools that do exist, well Kurosaki-san doesn't exactly speak their language. He is however quite fluent in English, a side-effect of having a love of Shakespeare I'm told," he said with a light laugh, causing Dumbledore to chuckle along with him while Ichigo pouted.

"I see, well we'd be more than willing to offer Mr. Kurosaki a place here, but the question is what year do you expect him to enter. If he has already been with you for a few years, putting him among our junior students would be a waste, but unfortunately there are many that would protest if I simply put him in with the senior students without testing him, or at the very least having the necessary reports from other testing institutions."

"Ah yes we did neglect to actually attend the examinations," Kisuke said with an uneasy chuckle. "Perhaps he could join your…Fifth Years I think it was? They do write their O.W.L.s then don't they?

"That is correct and I don't expect there to be too many objections from either our staff or the Board of Governors."

"Wonderful. Could you also be so kind as to provide us with a list of spells that the students are already expected to know by now? It would allow me to fill any gaps in his knowledge before the start of the new term."

"I understand, especially since most schools don't follow the same curriculum," Dumbledore said with a smile, using his wand to summon an overview of what was expected from an O.W.L student. "Also this is the list with the various items that he will need for this school year, as well as his ticket for the Hogwarts Express," he explained as he summoned a letter filled with content that was normally sent to all First-Year students. "I do have one question though. Do you plan on bringing that sword with you Mr. Kurosaki?"

"I was planning to yes," Ichigo answered, staring down at Kyoka Suigetsu. "I created it as the focus for my powers. It would be meaningless to leave it behind."

"I'm afraid that you will have to do just that Mr. Kurosaki as we do not allow weapons such as those within our walls," Dumbledore said, his tone sombre.

"Ah if I might interrupt," Kisuke said as he intervened in the situation. "While I understand your reluctance Dumbledore-san, that sword is akin to Kurosaki-san's wand. If you will not allow him to keep it in that form, perhaps you'd allow him to keep it in another guise?"

"If it acts as his wand, then I will agree to your compromise, but I need you to understand, that we do not allow such weapons to be carried here unless it is for ceremonial purposes. Well gentleman, I trust that this meeting has been as fruitful as you hoped and Mr. Kurosaki I look forward to seeing you again on the 1st of September."

"I hope I don't disappoint you sir," Ichigo replied with a brief bow, before shaking hands with Dumbledore as Kisuke led them out.

Once they left the grounds though, a grimace appeared on Ichigo's face, before he tore the glasses off of him, staring at them with barely veiled disgust. "Did you have to make them so similar to Aizen's? I feel tainted simply wearing them."

"Now, now Kurosaki-san, they give you a gentle, scholarly look, exactly what we need for your cover story here. Now then, shall we be off to acquire the items you'll need for your next school year? And then there's still the matter of informing your friends and family of your departure. We simply don't have any time to waste." Stabbing his cane into the air, he opened a senkaimon that would gate them directly into his underground area.

"**I thought they made you look a little cute and sophisticated,"** Kyoka commented from within his inner world, drawing a grunt from Ichigo.

'_I still haven't figured out what I'm going to say to Yuzu and Karin about disappearing for a year. Do you think they'll accept that I was drafted to attend a year-long trial to evaluate if I was up to their standards?"_

"**I wouldn't believe it, but I might believe that you've been chosen as part of a Cultural Exchange Program to experience other ways of life. It's based on what you're actually doing and will be much easier to accept than you being on a year-long fighting spree."**

'_True and it sort of makes sense too. I just hope that Kisuke will be able to waylay any Soul Reapers that come looking for me while I'm there.'_

"**You told them quite clearly to leave you alone, or they'd risk having you as an enemy. What part of that makes you think that they'd want to meet you?"**

'_Considering that you spent the better part of two centuries around them, I would've thought you'd know.'_

"**Touché."**

XXX

And that's the chapter done. A lot of boring speeches, but I've at least explained what their task is and how they plan to do it. And Harry is a person of interest in their investigation. Let's hope that nothing too serious happens to him. (*nudge* *nudge* *wink* *wink*)

Till next time, bye-bye.

PS. If you're curious as to what his glasses look like, Google Levi Glasses and pick your favourite one. For me personally they're a pair of black, rectangular frames with hints of red on the ends of the arms.


	3. Chapter 2

**The Magic Inquisition**

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter.

"Normal speech"

'_Inner speech/thoughts'_

"_Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"_

"**Zanpakuto speech/Inner Power"**

"_**Hollow speech"**_

XXX

**Chapter 2:**

"I look like an idiot," Ichigo grumbled, standing in front of a mirror, while wearing the standard plain black school robes required in the letter. "I mean they know that they're not in the medieval ages anymore right? They can't possibly think that this is normal attire in today's world."

"**One would assume the same thing about kimonos, but they are still worn on occasion,"** Kyoka commented as she stood next to him and stared appraisingly at his reflection.

"Exactly special occasions," he continued to grumble, pulling the robes over his head and staring at them in disgust. "I wonder how the students do it."

"**They probably just endure it,"** Kyoka replied nonchalantly as she relieved him of his robes and folded them away neatly. **"I'm more curious as to how short the girl's skirts are. After all, Karakura's leave very little to the imagination don't they?" **she whispered softly into his ear, causing a shiver to run down his spine.

"Not now Kyoka. We're in the middle of Urahara's home and you're visible for everyone to see," he muttered, trying to ignore the actions of his affectionate zanpakuto.

"**Since when do you care what he thinks? You remember what you told him the first time we met don't you. **_**Her name is Kyoka Suigetsu…and she's mine!**_** Ooh I still get shivers thinking of how possessive you were of me at that moment." **Seeing him blushing deeply, she chuckled and slipped around him and began to fiddle with his collar and tie. **"I'm glad I know where we stand though, as I'd hate to have to give all those lonely girls nightmares for looking at you so lewdly."**

As he was about to reprimand her, Ichigo was cut off by a familiar masculine voice. "I know that you two have an open relationship…but I really don't need to see you making out with Aizen's zanpakuto Ichigo," Yoruichi said as she sauntered into the room in her feline form, causing Ichigo to sigh in annoyance, while Kyoka pouted at her.

"**You're still hung up on that one time I affected you…such a sad, sad kitty you are,"** she teased, making Ichigo groan at how things were escalating between the two.

"What you're capable of doing is unnatural," Yoruichi huffed, giving the female zanpakuto spirit the feline equivalent of a glare. "And you're explicitly forbidden from doing the same to anyone else while he's there!"

"**Oh relax kitty. That only happened because Ichigo was still unsure of my full potential. He's more than got me under his complete control now so there should be no repeat incidents," **she said cheerfully, getting a scoff from Yoruichi. **"Unless that's what he wants of course," **she whispered under her breath, causing Yoruichi to glare at her again.

"Okay, settle down everyone, settle down," Kisuke said as he strode into the room, taking note of the figurative sparks flying between the two women in the room. "Now Kurosaki-san, I have in my hands here a list of all the spells that someone should be capable off by the end of their Fifth Year at Hogwarts," he explained, shaking said piece of paper in the air. "Now, I have even found a man that will be willing to show you exactly how each spell looks in practice. I've told him that he needs to demonstrate to you exactly how it's done first before testing you, so feel free to hypnotise him whenever you feel like it."

"**I don't like how blasé he is about asking you to hypnotise all these people," **Kyoka whispered into his mind, drawing a slight nod of acknowledgement from Ichigo, as Kisuke explained that they would be exploring potion brewing and other tasks together. **"You've handled two dozen people easily, but at the rate he's going, you're going to have to be keeping tabs on over two hundred people at times."**

'_Relax. I doubt that I would need to fool that many people at once and if I do, I'll just keep it simple,'_ he reassured her, even as he still listened to Kisuke continue his explanation.

"Ah yes before I forget," Kisuke mumbled, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a yellow manila folder. "This is the confirmation of your acceptance as a transfer student to the City of London," he explained as he handed it to Ichigo. Now this school of course doesn't exist and any correspondence sent to it, will immediately get routed to me. Now at least you can give concrete evidence to your friends and family of where you will be in the coming months."

"They're still going to be suspicious; I mean what happens when they call the school and ask for me? I'm pretty sure that one of them will try at some point."

"As I said Kurosaki-san, all communication aimed towards this school has been routed to me. Now don't worry your pretty little head about anything else okay," he said, ruffling Ichigo's hair. "Oh yes, I almost forgot, I have decided that since your list does mention that you may have a pet, I have asked Yoruichi-san to accompany you on your mission. She will relay messages and reports to me, as well as perform reconnaissance during instances when you cannot."

"No offence to Yoruichi-san, but I can fool people into believing that I'm not even there Urahara-san, what makes you think that I need her help to do that?" Ichigo asked, his brow arcing slightly.

"Well if you are fine sneaking into the girl's dormitories then I guess that we have no problems then, just remember not to abuse such powers for blatant peeping Kurosaki-san," he joked, earning himself a scathing look from said teen.

'_What I wouldn't do to torture him with the image of Genryusai doing the can-can in a G-string right now…'_ he muttered internally, before suppressing such a petty thought.

"**It's what I would do in this situation. Plus it certainly got your attention."**

'_And scarred me for life thank you very much,'_ he retorted, getting a chuckle from her.

"**My methods were unorthodox, but they made you a better person didn't they?"**

Getting a scoff in answer from him, she turned to Urahara as he spoke to her.

"And how are you finding my first ever shape-shifting zanpakuto gigai?" he asked, drawing a look of disdain from her.

"**It's uncomfortable and restricting. I hate it," **she muttered, making him sputter and whine.

"But it's the first prototype of the series. Plus in this way Kurosaki-san can carry you around without having to be in his soul form."

"**It's still constricting. And how am I supposed to leave it anyway?"**

"Ah well you'll need Kurosaki-san to do that. A gikon won't work with that gigai, but using a soul removal glove will forcibly eject you from it."

"I guess that means you're fine with me taking it and Nova with me then?" Ichigo asked, getting a nod from the eccentric shopkeeper.

"They're both still officially on loan to you, so do with them what you will."

"**I thought you told Nova that you were leaving him here with Nozomi?" **Kyoka whispered into his mind, getting a nod back from him. **"How would you even convince him in the first place?"**

'_Yes, but not everything I do needs to be known to him. Besides, if I asked he would come with me in a heartbeat and she would let him. They owe me for keeping her alive though that fiasco.'_

"I'm going to get going now then Urahara-san, I'll see you here tomorrow morning to start going over all the shit I need to fake," he muttered, before forcing Kyoka back into her sword form and heading for the door.

XXX

"Whoa…" Ichigo muttered as he stepped through the barrier that concealed Platform 9 ¾ from the rest of the world, as the sheer size of it made him think back to the space under Urahara's shop. From his shoulder, Yoruichi gave a purr of agreement, before nudging the side of his head to get him moving again. Despite having spent the last few weeks meticulously taking apart every ounce of information they had, it was still astounding to see it all laid out so plainly in front of him.

Since he had arrived almost half an hour early, he was able to move across the platform with relative ease, drawing a few curious looks from some of the other students. Finding an empty compartment, he hefted his trunk up with ease into the overhead compartment thanks to his enhanced strength and settled back with a sigh onto the bench.

"**I do not approve of my travel accommodations," **Kyoka grumbled, appearing as a ghostly apparition in front of him. **"Why does she get to travel with you and I get stuffed into a trunk?"**

'_Because to everyone else, she's a cat and you're a sword. It would give me a headache if people kept asking "Oh my god is that a sword you're carrying? Why on Earth would you need that?"'_ he muttered with a sigh, drawing a disinterested look from Yoruichi. _'Plus, I'm pretty sure Yoruichi would kill me if I tried to stuff her into a cat carrier.'_

Pouting at his arguments, Kyoka sighed and stretched out across the opposite bench, her silk robe riding up her thighs and causing several sinful thoughts to flash across Ichigo's mind before he quashed them.

'_Would you please stop that,'_ he begged, drawing a chuckle from Kyoka as she read his mind.

"**What? This?" **she whispered, as she stretched herself fully, causing her robe to stretch and reveal her bare skin for him. He was spared any further teasing though, by the arrival of two girls sliding into the compartment, giggling to one another.

"Oh sorry, I didn't think that there was anyone in here," the blonde girl, explained her expression apologetic.

"It's not a problem. I didn't lock the door and it's a free train after all," Ichigo replied, waving her apology off. Seeing the two of them whispering between each other, he tilted his head curiously in their direction.

"Would you mind if we join you? This is the only reasonably free cabin on this car and we'd rather not have to walk further down," she continued her tone hopeful.

"Eh why not, it'll be nice to have some company on the ride." Watching as they dragged their trunks in, he stood and offered to help them store it in the overhead compartments, sweeping through their protests with ease. As the two watched him, he felt, more than saw them staring at him, especially since his t-shirt had ridden up slightly to expose his abs to them. "Well that's that sorted," he said after storing the last one, his voice drawing them out of their daze and causing them to snap their gaze away from him.

Sitting down on his previous spot, he was unsurprised to see the pair of them sitting next to one another, a light blush on each of their faces as they whispered to one another.

"**You've only spoken a handful of words to them and already they're scarlet,"** Kyoka whispered into his ear, a smirk on her face. **"I can almost see all the things they would love for you to do."**

Keeping his expression friendly as best he could, Ichigo shuddered at her words. "I don't believe I introduced myself, Ichigo Kurosaki, a pleasure to meet you," he said with a smile, holding his hand out to shake both their hands.

"Hannah Abbot," the blonde girl replied, her silky smooth hand dwarfed, by his own rougher one.

"Susan Bones," her red haired friend replied, also shaking his hand timidly. "I don't think I've ever seen you at Hogwarts before. Are you a new teacher maybe?"

"Do I really look old enough to be a teacher?" he asked incredulously, drawing a muffled yes from the pair of them.

"It's the glasses, they make you look a lot older than I'm guessing you are," she replied, causing him to scowl and pull the glasses off for a moment to glare at the offending eyewear.

"And they continue to be the bane of my existence," he muttered dramatically, drawing a giggle from the pair. "Regardless of how old they make me appear, I am actually a transfer student from Japan," he explained, causing both girls to stare at him in surprise.

"Wow that's…really far away," Hannah said, faltering slightly as she spoke.

"It is," he said with a chuckle. "But you barely notice it if you fly at night."

"So what made you decide to study here?" Susan asked. "Don't they have any schools in Japan?"

"Well not in the traditional sense. I was in an apprenticeship and decided I wanted to see what a formal education is like. As for why I chose Hogwarts, it's just because I can speak the language fluently and had a great desire to see your country."

"I see well if there's anything you want to know, feel free to ask us," Susan said with a smile, while Hannah nodded along. "In fact, Hannah is a prefect this year, so you couldn't ask for a better guide."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

Their conversation was soon interrupted by the sound of the door opening. "Ah, there you are Hannah and you have Susan with you too, how wonderful," a sandy haired boy said, as he entered the compartment with a dark haired boy in tow.

"We were just getting to know the new transfer student," Hannah explained gesturing to Ichigo. With their attention drawn to him the two boys stared in surprise at the orange haired teen, as he smiled back at the two.

"Pleased to meet you I'm Ernie Macmillan," the sandy-haired boy said as he introduced himself. "And this is my friend Justin Finch-Fletchley. He's a bit shy unfortunately."

"I am not," Justin retorted sinking down into the bench next to Ernie. "You're just more outspoken than anyone else." As the two boys bantered back and forth, Ichigo looked to Hannah and Susan and raised an eyebrow silently questioning if this was normal between the two.

"Boys", Hannah said with a hint of authority in her voice making both boys fall silent.

"Careful Justin, we can't forget that we're now in the presence of a prefect. We need to be on our best behaviour now," Ernie chuckled, poking his friend in the ribs. He was rewarded with a glare from the blonde haired girl.

"I should hope that you will be better behaved once we reach Hogwarts, Mr Prefect otherwise I feel that I'll have to spend most of my time watching you and not the others," she said with a hint of teasing in her tone.

As everyone chuckled softly at Ernie, Ichigo found himself troubled. Sitting here with the students and seeing them so carefree, he felt apprehensive over his role in determining fate.

"Well Hannah and I need to report to the Prefect's compartment, but worry not, we shall be with you again shortly," he said with an extravagant bow as the two of them got up to leave.

Left with what seemed as the shyer of the four; Ichigo smiled warmly at the two and asked, "So what is life at Hogwarts like?"

"Well in the house we're in, loyalty and friendship is highly valued," Susan explained. "So it's a bit like a family away from home, just with dozens of brothers and sisters and only a hint of parental control."

"Houses? Sorry but what do you mean by that?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh sorry, I forgot you're a new student. The four houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. The four of us are all in Hufflepuff. Each house has its own prestigious history to them and each value different traits in a person. For example Gryffindor is the home of the brave and courageous, Slytherin is the home of the cunning and ambitious and Ravenclaw is the home of the knowledgeable. As I said earlier, our house values loyalty and hard work."

"The unofficial story is that Gryffindor is the home of heroes, Slytherin is the home of villains and Ravenclaw is the home of bookworms and nerds," Justin commented sarcastically, making Susan smile at him.

"I see and what about your house?"

Seeing Susan fidget uncomfortably, Justin sighed and answered. "They say we're the home of rejects."

"Ah…well I'm not the type to think such things of people," he said with a reassuring smile making Susan blush again as he fixed his gaze on her. "How long is the train ride anyway?"

"Several hours," Justin answered. "We're normally at the castle by about dinner time."

"Just great," Ichigo groaned sinking back into his seat. "Do me a favour and wake me up when we get there," he muttered as he leaned back in his seat and settled down for a nap. Unknown to the two of them though, he simply pretended to sleep while following their conversation.

After listening to them speak off mundane things for an hour or two, Ernie and Hannah finally returned from the Prefect's meeting.

"So did anything interesting happen? Is it the life of a…'rock star'?" Susan asked, getting a chuckle from Justin.

"It'll be more like being a police officer than a celebrity Susan," he corrected her.

"Well I don't know about that," Ernie replied as he sunk into his seat. "Other than finding out we have to patrol the corridors and keep people in line, we're not expected to do much. The big surprise is that the Gryffindor prefects are Ron and Hermione."

"What, but I thought that Harry would be chosen as a Gryffindor prefect", Justin said sounding a bit scandalised.

"You and me both, but who knows how they're chosen," Ernie said with a shrug.

"Well it could be because of his trial recently," Susan spoke, drawing the curious gazes of the others.

"What trial?" Justin asked.

"Well it was supposed to be kept hush-hush, but my aunt told me that they held a full criminal trial for his misuse of magic in front of muggle," Susan explained, causing their eyes to widen in surprise."

"Why on earth would he do that? Better yet, why would they hold a full criminal trial for such a minor matter?" Ernie asked, as he furrowed his brow and mulled the information over.

"No one else knows this, but he says it was to defend himself against a dementor," Susan whispered.

"But aren't they supposed to be the guarding Azkaban? What on earth would they be doing going after Harry?" Hannah asked. What puzzled Ichigo slightly was why she questioned them going after said boy, and not questioning whether he was telling the truth or not.

"I know that's why many were convinced that he was lying to try and get out of trouble, but Professor Dumbledore spoke up in his defence as well as another person."

"You don't think…they were trying to get rid of him? Ernie asked hesitantly.

"Now what would make you think that?" Justin asked incredulously.

"You haven't seen the papers mate. They've been calling him and Professor Dumbledore mad for suggesting that You-Know-Who is back. The headmaster has taken a lot of flak from the entire Magical community as a result of the Ministry dragging his name through the mud," Ernie answered, enlightening his muggle-born friend as to the developments in the Magical World.

"And they keep throwing Harry's name about as if he's a joke. Guess they've forgotten about half the things he's done for us," Hannah added, getting a nod from Ernie.

"God knows it'll be easier for me to accept that You-Know-Who is dead, but if both Harry and Professor Dumbledore say he's back, then I have to believe that they're telling the truth. We owe it to Cedric to believe it…" A sombre mood settled on the compartment at his final words and Ichigo got the sense that Cedric was someone dear to them.

"Anyway, it seems as if I've been granted the tremendous honour off escorting our newest transfer student up to the castle," Hannah said, trying to change the topic to a more light-hearted one.

"Okay…why?" Susan asked a hint of amusement in her tone.

"Well, kind of because we met him first and we chose to settle in his compartment," she said with a smile.

"I guess that makes sense. Not to mention that I could imagine worse people to escort around," Susan replied cheekily.

"Don't look now mate, but I think that we might have a new competitor for the hearts of Hufflepuff's fair maidens," Ernie stage whispered to his friend, causing the girls to roll their eyes at the boys' antics, while Ichigo sighed internally.

"**This is just great. How many more girls do you think you can woo, before the year is done?"** Kyoka asked with a chuckle.

'_I have bigger things to worry about,'_ he replied with a tired sigh. _'But I'd say all them,_' he said with a smirk. Deciding that it was time he woke up he faked a yawn and sat up, brushing a hand through his hair.

"So what did I miss?" he asked, while the others fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Oh…nothing," Susan stuttered, while the others nodded in agreement. "Anyway we're almost at Hogwarts, so we should get changed before arriving."

"Ah, well unless you'd like a far more intimate show than earlier, I guess I should leave and let you two ladies have the compartment to change," he said with a smirk as he reached up into his trunk and pulled out his uniform, causing Justin and Ernie to gape at him, while Susan and Hannah blushed. Unknown to the four of them, he secretly slipped Kyoka's sheath under the robes, knowing they would easily conceal it for the moment.

XXX

When the train finally pulled to a stop and they got off the car, Ichigo was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of students that milled about, pushing this way and that, as they made their way off platform.

"Come on. The carriages for us are on the other side of the platform," Hannah told him, as she nudged him on his arm, before dragging him off in the direction the majority of them were walking in. As they drew up to the carriages Ichigo froze in his step and stared puzzled at the strange beasts that pulled them.

They resembled horses for the most part, but were far more skeletal in nature. They also possessed the bat like wings and glittering white pupil-less eyes. As one turned to stare at him, he found himself unnerved by its unflinching gaze. Feeling Hannah nudging him again, he clambered into the carriage and they were off.

"What did you find so interesting back there?" she asked. "Haven't you ever seen a horseless carriage before?"

Staring at her incredulously, he could see that she was utterly sincere and truly believed that there was nothing pulling the carriage.

"It's nothing. I was just stuck in my thoughts for a moment there," he muttered, staring out the side at the long procession of carriages making their way up towards Hogwarts. As the castle came into sight, he found himself growing anxious as he would soon be in front of all the teachers and students of the school and would most likely have the best chance to hypnotise them all.

When they finally reached the castle entrance, it was to find a tall, stern looking woman overseeing everyone's entrance. When she spotted his signature orange hair, she gestured for him to join her.

"I trust you are Mr Kurosaki?" she asked, getting a nod from him. "Good, that will be all then, Miss Abbott. You may join the rest of your housemates in the Great Hall."

"Of course Professor McGonagall," she replied, waving to Ichigo briefly, before joining the rest of the students as they trooped inside.

"Now then you will be sorted after the first years, so I must ask you to please wait here until I call for you. We are unused to students joining us at such a late stage that we think your sorting might take a bit longer than normal," she explained, getting a nod from the teen.

"Of course Professor, whatever you think is best," he said, before she walked off towards another door off to the side.

"**Well, she certainly seems pleasant,"** Kyoka murmured. **"Not even the instructors at the Shino Academy seemed so severe."**

'_I highly doubt that, but she certainly doesn't seem as easy-going as Ochi sensei was.'_

"**So what house do you think you'll be in?"**

'_Honestly, I really don't know, but it would probably help if I was in that Potter kid's house.'_

"**So the house of the brave and idiotic how wonderful**,**"** she murmured sarcastically. **"Then again, they sound exactly like you did just over a year ago."**

'_I wasn't that bad was I?'_

"**I'll just bring up one point, your rescue of Rukia,"** she murmured, causing him to wince.

'_Okay so I was a bit of an idiot.'_

"**That's the understatement of the century right there. But seriously, wouldn't it be more fun to be in the house of the villainous? I already have your evil overlord laugh all planned out. And I could always play the scantily clad mistress you keep on hand to satisfy yourself when you feel the need for release."**

'_God you're impossible sometimes,'_ he muttered, an image of her in a violet strapless dress with a slit running up her thigh and her silver hair done up in an elegant bun appearing in his mind.

"**I know, but you love me for it,"** she whispered into his ear.

After waiting for what seemed like half an hour he finally heard his name being called and entered the Great Hall. As he walked between the two middle tables towards the staff table at the very end of the hall, he was in awe of the sight in front of him. Staring up at what should have been the roof of the building, he instead stared at a perfect replica of the night sky outside.

"As you can see we have a special guest at Hogwarts this year," the headmaster said as he gestured towards Ichigo. "Mr Kurosaki will be joining the Fifth Years at Hogwarts this year and I trust you all to make his stay here an enjoyable one."

"Please take a seat here," Professor McGonagall told him, pointing to a plain wooden stool set in front of the staff table. As he sat down, he took note of the patched and frayed hat in her hand.

'_Now what?'_ he thought as it descended over his eyes. After a few seconds of silence, he was jolted by the screech of, "Unhand me woman!" along with Kyoka's soft chuckling.

Sighing, he retreated into his inner world and found Kyoka with the same old hat perched on her head at an angle. Seeing him there, she twirled on the spot and winked at him.

"**So what you think of my new hat?"** she asked, while the hat continued to sputter in outrage at his treatment.

"Leave him alone Kyoka," he said getting a pout from the zanpakuto. "Let's start with what you're doing here," he asked, as he ignored her.

"I haven't the foggiest idea sir," the hat answered. "Normally I merely sift through the thoughts and memories of the students I'm placed on and decide from the qualities they exhibit what house to place them in. This is the first time I've been drawn in to some place like this and harassed in such a manner," he muttered and seemed to almost be glaring at Kyoka. Its glare faltered though, as it took in the look of worry that the two exchanged with one another.

"I understand that, that's your job," Ichigo told him, accepting the hat from Kyoka. "But let me assure you…you tell anyone about what you see in my head and I'll personally erase you from existence."

Slightly troubled at the threat, the hat nevertheless prepared itself for its coming examination. When it finally passed over Ichigo's eyes and was given access to his memories, it was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of sensations and images that flashed through its mind. A boy covered in blood as he shook a woman's dead form. Countless fights fought against bullies over his features and family, before finally facing monsters of immense power that made the hat shudder in fear at what the teen was capable of. The last few memories though, caused him a hint of amusement as they detailed the intimate relationship between the woman and him, before finally giving away to his mission at Hogwarts. When it was ripped from his perch's head, he was unsurprised at the glare being levelled at him from the supernatural being in front of him.

"I trust that you have enough information now," he said, though he was clearly unwilling to share anything else by the looks of it.

"Yes, quite enough," it replied, staring warily at the teen. "Tell me, do you really think that you could complete this…mission of yours successfully?"

"It's not a case of whether I think I can succeed or not. The entire Magical Community cannot afford to have me fail this mission. Otherwise…well, you've seen the consequences."

"I did. Well I suppose it's time to get down to the crux of the matter, where should I place you?"

"In Gryffindor, that way I'm a step closer to the Potter kid."

"Yes that would be…acceptable. But beware of this mission you find yourself on Mr Kurosaki. You will find yourself faced with answers that you never wanted to have and perhaps, information that was probably better left lost."

"What? Wait, what did you mean by that?" Ichigo shouted at him, only to growl as the hat disappeared back to the normal world.

"GRYFFINDOR!" it yelled, just as he came back to his body, before being lifted off his head. Looking up at Professor McGonagall, his gaze briefly swept over the crowd of cheering students, before he turned his back on them and the rest of the hall and faced the headmaster.

"My thanks to you, your staff and the students for such an enthusiastic greeting Headmaster Dumbledore," he said out loud, his voice carrying to each corner of the room with ease. "However, I find that I must ask a favour of you already."

Raising a brow at him, Ichigo took note of the puzzled whispers and gazes from around the room, none more so than from the Headmaster. As he nodded his head in assent though, he was stunned to see Ichigo sweep aside his robes to draw forth the sword that he had carried the first time they met.

"I told you that this sword was more important to me than my life, as it is the focus of my powers. I have in light of our conversation before the start of the term, acquired a wand for use while here. I now humbly ask that you safeguard this precious item for me during my stay here."

"I would be happy to accept," Dumbledore answered, causing Ichigo to step forward with the blade laid flat on the palms of his hand.

As the old man's fingers brushed against his own, he whispered three words within the confines of his mind. _"Shatter…Kyoka Suigetsu,"_ and in that moment, felt his power was over hundreds of minds.

"**All too easy,"** she whispered as she materialised next to him, a smile on her face, while he smirked back at her.

"And now the hard part begins," he murmured.

XXX

And that's the next chapter done. So Ichigo's finally there and sorted. Not much to say at the moment. Till next time boys and girls.


End file.
